JMK, VOL. 24, NO. 1, MARCH 2022, 81–90 DOI: 10.9744/jmk.24.1.

81–90
ISSN 1411-1438 print / ISSN 2338-8234 online

WEBSITE AS AN COMMUNICATION TOOL AND BRANDING

STRATEGY IN TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES
Erni Martini1*, Lili Adi Wibowo2, Agus Rahayu3, Ratih Hurriyati4
1
Faculty of Economics and Business, Telkom University, Indonesia
2,3,4
School of Postgraduate Studies, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
Email: ernimartini@telkomuniversity.ac.id1, liliadiwibowo@upi.edu2, agusrahayu@upi.edu3, ratih@upi.edu4
*Corresponding Author

Received: June 25, 2021, Revised: Feb. 23, 2022, Accepted: March 5, 2022

Abstract

This research had the purpose of investigating the utilization of a company's official website as a com-
munication medium and for online branding purposes in the telecommunication industry in Indonesia. This
study used a population of official websites from seven telecommunication companies in Indonesia. The
indicators that had been used to analyze website content, website ease of use, and website interactivity. The
results of this study showed that 100% of telecommunication companies in Indonesia had a website that can
be used as an online branding strategy. The indicators that were mostly used by these companies for online
branding were website content (100%) and website ease of use (93.65%), while the use of website interactivity
(53%) still needed to be maximized. The findings of this study were useful in revealing how telecommuni-
cations companies in developing countries used their websites as a communication medium for online
branding.

Keywords: Social network analysis, DANA, gopay, fintech, startup business.

Introduction Indonesia has nine telecommunications compa-

The growth of the internet brings a new chapter
in strategic branding as it offers numerous ways to
promote online businesses (Barreda, Bilgihan, Nusair,
& Okumus, 2016). Companies that have a strong brand
image are likely to gain a sustainable competitive ad-
vantage and win global competitions (Trajković, &
Stanković, 2017). Branding is important to the compa-
ny because it becomes part of the added value of of-
fering products and services at a premium price (Gha-
leb & Kaplan, 2021). Branding is important for busi-
ness and has been a strategic review in almost all types
of industries, such as financial services, beer industry,
hotel business, and property (Vrontis, 1998; O Lough-
lin, & Szmigin, 2007; Cheng & Cheok, 2008; Aripova,
2021).
Online branding offers a clear advantage over tra-
ditional branding. According to Upshaw (2001), the
Internet has interactive features that provide new op-
portunities to create stronger brand identities that have
the potential to shape brand retention. The findings of
Berthon, Pitt, and Watson (1996) supported Upshaw
(2001) with the finding that the level of interactivity on
the website plays a very important role in transforming
visitor interactions from umpteenth interested to inter-
active customers.
nies registered with the Indonesian Telecommunica-
tions Operators Association, but only seven are opera-
ting today. The existence of this telecommunications
company is significant as it is the primary provider of
telecommunications services in today's digital age.
Since the beginning of the era of digitalization, compa-
nies have sought to keep pace with technological
trends by creating corporate websites, including Indo-
nesia’s telecommunication companies. Digitalization
commonly used to establish market positions, reorga-
nize business systems, and create more innovative of-
ferings and customer experiences (Khairuddin, 2021),
but this is not ideal in Indonesia. Consumers in Indone-
sia rely more on social media than on official websites
(Burhan, 2022). The data gathered on https://www.-
alexa.com on October 8, 2021, shows the percentage
of traffic, ranking, commitment, and bounce on the
websites of each telecommunication company in In-
donesia.
Data in Table 1 shows an average percentage of
website visits by telecommunication companies in
Indonesia at 28.6% and bounce rates of 40.3%. The
percentage of traffic visits shows a fairly low visit rate,
not reaching 30% of the number of website visitors in
Indonesia every day, which amounted to 29 million

81
82 JURNAL MANAJEMEN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, VOL. 24, NO. 1, MARCH 2022: 81–90
Tabel 1
Data Traffic, Website Ranking, Engagement, and Bounce Rate of Telecommunication Company in Indonesia
Company Traffic (%)
Indosat 34.6
PSN No data
Hutchinson Indonesia 26.5
Telkom 20.7
Telkomsel 24.7
Smartfren 41.7
XL Axiata 50
Average 28.6
Source: https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/
internet users per day (Rizaty, 2021). It is also
supported by a bounce rate of 40.3% and an
engagement rate of 2.85%. This bounce rate figure
shows the website visitors of the telecommunication
company that close a webpage after opening the first
webpage nearly halved. The low engagement rate of
2.85% also means that website visitors and website
administrators have fewer interactions when browsing
the company's website. This means that official
websites in the telecommunication industry haven’t yet
built enough interaction and communication as a part
of their online branding.
Previous research examining websites as part of
corporate branding, conducted by Barreda et al.
(2016), found that website interactivity has an effect on
brand knowledge, which consists of brand awareness
and brand image. Another study by Rowley (2009)
found that online branding activities on websites were
still not fully developed. But this result is rare in Indo-
nesia. There are still few studies that are concerned
with research on websites as a means of communica-
tion and online branding, especially in the telecommu-
nications industry. This research will fill the gap by
examining how the website is used as a corporate com-
munication tool in creating online branding.
Telecommunication companies, along with glo-
bal and domestic competitiveness, should be able to
deliver good telecommunication products or services
to the community as customers. By providing the ser-
vice in plenary, marketing efforts are required to com-
municate products and services, one of which is made
by branding the public. Up to now, the limitation of
discussion on how the practice of line branding
performed by telecommunication companies in
Indonesia can still be studied further to gain infor-
mation on the effectiveness of an online branding stra-
tegy that has been implemented by the companies that
become interesting to be studied further. This research
Bounce Rate
Website Rank Engagement (%)
(%)
57,426 2.3 50.6
2,558,634 3.0 No data
66,747 2.0 53.6
19,656 6.02 28.2
20,659 1.53 66.6
68,351 2.1 44.2
121,785 3.0 38.9
2.85 40.3
will help provide the results of the online branding
analysis via websites in the telecommunication
industry in developing countries, such as Indonesia.
Online Branding
Branding is fundamental to the success of an in-
novation, particularly over the long term. It is defined
as a value-creating process through consistent promo-
tion, offers, and customer experience that will satisfy
and help customers use the product (Aaker, 2007). The
terms "online branding" and "e-branding" grew in the
1990s with the emergence of the Internet, which is
used at all levels of an organization. ICT innovation
allows the online branding strategy to evolve and be-
come part of the business strategy to remain compe-
titive online. Online branding is suggested in the Inter-
net era, which refers to the use of the Internet as a
branding medium. Branding helps businesses build a
unique identity to attract customers to use their product
or service (Ibeh, Luo, & Dinnie, 2005).
Branding in the current information era has be-
come more important because customers can easily
obtain product and service information. In order to
compete, it is important for the company to embed the
brand in the minds of customers. In the electronic me-
dia context, online branding is becoming an important
issue (Simmons, 2007). Ghachem (2011) stated three
online branding approaches that were considered re-
presentations of how a website as an online channel
could provide information and direct experience to
customers about the product or service provided by the
company. The website has an unlimited scope, and
thus the website plays an important role in promoting
and marketing a company's activities. Large and small
businesses often use the website as a means of promo-
ting marketing products or services. A successful bran-
ding strategy will sell more value than the competition.
 Martini: Website as an Communication Tool and Branding Strategy in Telecommunication Companies
A successful brand strategy affects the quality and
emotional perception of customers.
Online branding is an important part of today's
business strategy and needs to be taken into considera-
tion, specifically along with the company's offline
branding activities. With the enormous growth of on-
line business transactions and greater online opportu-
nities, online media businesses are designed to pro-
mote businesses, products, and services offered by bu-
sinesses. E-branding can maximize the company's visi-
bility among the public. Branding is a major marketing
strategy for creating a new market and maintaining
customer loyalty. Establishing a trademark within the
industry is a complex process. The process includes
activities such as product development, channel mana-
gement, image creation, and targeted marketing. It is
comparatively difficult to create and secure brand sta-
tus in the physical world; it is even more difficult to do
so in the virtual world. Building a good brand involves
many elements, not to mention building an effective
base for products or services offered. Simmons (2007)
suggested that some things that needed to be integrated
to build a successful brand were based on what
Branding in the current information era has be-
come more important because customers can easily
obtain product and service information. It is important
for the company to embed the brand in the minds of
customers in order to compete. In the context of elec-
tronic media, online branding has become an important
thing (Simmons, 2007). Online branding in today's
digital age is important to explore because of its im-
portance from the perspective of organizational stra-
tegy and brand experience (Rowley, 2009). In explor-
ing how a website as an online channel is used to
support a brand, Ghachem (2011) in his study stated
three online branding approaches that were considered
representations of how a website as an online channel
could provide information and direct experience to
customers about the product or service provided by the
company. A website has an unlimited extent, and
therefore, a website plays an important role in the
promotion and marketing activity of a company. It is
common for both big and small companies to use
websites as a promotion medium for marketing pro-
ducts or services. A good branding strategy will sell
more value than competitors. The added value of a
good branding strategy affects the quality and emoti-
onal perception of customers.
Online branding is an important part of today’s
business strategy and must be taken into consideration
as precisely as the off-line branding activities of the
company. With the huge growth in online business
transactions and bigger online opportunities, business-
es on the internet are designed to promote businesses,
83
products, and services offered by companies. E-bran-
ding can maximize corporate exposure to the public.
Branding is an important marketing strategy to create a
new market and maintain customer loyalty. Creating a
brand name in an industry is a complex process. This
process involves activities including product design,
channel management, image formation, and target
marketing. It is relatively difficult to create and secure
the status of a brand name in the physical world; it is
even more difficult to do so in the virtual world. Buil-
ding a good brand involves many elements, not to
mention building an effective base for products or
services offered. According to Simmons (2007), seve-
ral things that needed to be integrated to successfully
built brand awareness were based on the following as-
pects: Understanding customers' brands depended on
customer perception. When a brand was created, it
needed to be communicated and positioned for the
appropriate audience. Interaction with customers: In
order to obtain competitive intelligence about a brand,
processes within an organization must revolve around
its creation, development, and monitoring while inter-
acting with customer targets.
Tzokas and Saren (2004) stated that the website
was a suitable channel for building and maintaining
relationships with customers. A marketing strategy to
maintain loyal customers is conducted through two-
way communication, awarding, an effective customer
community and service recovery mechanism, as well
as an online brand community as an important aspect
in forming a brand. Therefore, it is important for com-
panies to position the website as a means of commu-
nication with customers in relation to building a good
brand image and profitability for the company. Ac-
cording to this review, the initial research question is:
RQ1: Does the Indonesian telecommunications indus-
try have site as part of their online branding stra-
tegy?
Website Content Online
Content is an important part of branding. Rahim-
nia and Hassanzadeh (2013) argues that web content is
one of the most important issues for businesses seeking
to maximize their profits by promoting their services or
products in a competitive market (Rahimnia & Has-
sanzadeh, 2013). Hernández, Jiménez, and Martín
(2009) stated that there are factors to consider when
designing a website, namely that the information pro-
vided on the website must be accurate, informative,
current, and relevant to the needs of consumers. Web
design is important for optimizing the interaction bet-
ween system users (Nong & Gainsbury, 2019). Liu,
84 JURNAL MANAJEMEN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, VOL. 24, NO. 1, MARCH 2022: 81–90
Arnett, and Litecky (2000) found that a well-designed
website will encourage brand recall, recognition, and a
positive attitude from consumers towards the site and
its products. Websites that present information but do
not have the capacity to provide contributor space and
interact among users are viewed as worthless (Nong &
Gainsbury, 2019).
Website Interactivity
The concept of interactivity on a website is a con-
cept mediated by technology and relates to engage-
ment, interests, and attractiveness (Palla, Tsiotsou, &
Zotos, 2013). Interactivity on the website is demon-
strated through interactions between individuals and
websites (Barreda et al., 2016). Neelotpaul (2011)
stated that interactivity on the website can be used to
build long-term relationships, while Voorveld, Van
Noort, and Duijn (2013) found that website interacti-
vity became an important aspect in building an online
brand due to the occurrence of reciprocal communica-
tion between consumers and the system. Referring to a
study conducted by Ghachem (2011) who developed
an online branding model for a newspaper company in
Tunisia, this study uses the concept of online content
and interactivity presented by Ghachem (2011) as a
research variable that will then be used to categorize
coding manuals for website content and interactivity.
This study did not use the attribute website of Gha-
chem (2011) and replaced it with an ease-of-use of
website (Vlahvei, Notta, & Grigoriou, 2013), which is
considered more appropriate in measuring online bran-
ding on websites. According to that study, the second
research question is:
RQ2: Has online branding which includes online con-
tent, website ease of use and interactivity been
implemented in the Telco industry in Indonesia
Research Methods
This study is conducted by analyzing the content
on the website. The advantage of using content ana-
lysis as a research method is that it is not intrusive, can
be supported by unstructured materials, is context-
sensitive and thus able to process symbolic forms, and
can handle large volumes of data, Krippendorff (1980).
The benefits of this technique are seen as the same as
examining online media such as websites. The steps
taken in content analysis techniques refer to McMillan
(2000), namely formulating research questions and/or
hypotheses, selecting samples, determining categories,
training coders to determine reliability, and, lastly,
analyzing and interpreting data (Hashim, Hasan &
Sinnapan, 2007). This study used data from Ghachem
(2011) and Vlahvei et al. (2013) to examine online
branding by Telco companies in Indonesia.
The population in this research is the official web-
site contents of all telecommunication companies.
According to ATSI (Asosiasi Penyelenggara Teleko-
munikasi Seluruh Indonesia), there are 9 (nine) tele-
communication companies listed under the associa-
tion. There are only 7 (seven) companies that are qua-
lified as analysis unit. 2 (two) other companies are
ousted from the list because 1 (one) company listed in
early 2016 was declared bankrupt and was acquired by
a foreign company (Bakrie Telecom). The other com-
pany merely provides local telecommunication service
in several regions, thus was ousted as analysis unit
(Sinarmas Telecom). Based on the description, the
population of this research includes websites from
Indosat, Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), Hutchinson
Indonesia, Telkom, Telkomsel, Smartfren, and XL
Axiata. Analysis of the website content that is asso-
ciated with each of the companies is conducted by
using a checklist that covered the variable and its indi-
cators to support the data collection relevant to research
questions. To be more precise the following stages
have been taken in the analysis:
1. An initial checklist (Yes (Y)) and (No (N)) is
piloted with seven websites from telecommuni-
cation companies. This initial checklist process is
used to tighten whether each website has or hasn’t
each variable and indicator that is used in this study
in their website.
2. All websites are analysed using the revised check-
list. It is deemed necessary to revisit most of the
sites to re-check details to be assured of their
accuracy.
The unit analysis includes the content of the web-
site consisting of an online brand attribute, the ease of
use of the website, and the interactivity of 7 (seven)
official websites of telecommunication companies in
Indonesia observed in June 2021. To obtain an objec-
tive result, coding is performed by two people, namely
Coder I and II. The coding is done by the author and
assisted by the assistant of the author. The purpose of
why there is more than one coder is to obtain agree-
ment, or mutual agreement, to meet a high level of
reliability. The reliability of the reliability test resulted
from Coder I and II is tested with the Hoslti formula
test (Holsti, 1968). Reliability is shown in the agree-
ment percentage–how much of an inter-coder equation
is accepted when assessing content. In the Holsti for-
mula, the tolerable minimum reliability score is 0.7, or
70%. Therefore, if the calculation result shows a relia-
bility score above 0.7, it means the gauge is reliable and
 Martini: Website as an Communication Tool and Branding Strategy in Telecommunication Companies 85

vice versa (Wang, 2011). From the calculation result
and coding performed for the whole unit analysis, the
reliability coefficient score towards categorization of
website content of telecommunication companies is
71.4%, the reliability coefficient score for website ease
of use is 85.7%, and the reliability coefficient for inter-
activity is 74.6%. Thus, it can be concluded that the use
of variables in analyzing website content in this study
is reliable.
The content of this study was analyzed through
the company's official site. To answer research ques-
tions, coding procedures are performed at the level of
the presence or absence of website attributes on each
company's website, encoded based on Y (there are
websites and website attributes) or N (no websites and
website attributes). This view of the online branding is
the result of a month of observation. Websites are con-
sidered a form of communication, and messages seek
to be identified through this research, and content
analysis is considered the most appropriate for the type
of research in question. In order to facilitate coding,
manual coding instruments were prepared (Kolbe &
Burnett, 1991; Lombard, Snyder‐Duch, & Bracken,
2002). Manual coding is intended to provide opera-
tional definitions and examples pertinent to the final
coding (Kolbe & Burnett, 1991). Table 2 summarizes
the coding manual used in this study.
Descriptive analysis is used to answer research
questions by using frequency distribution tables to get
a sense of data processing outcomes. Manikandan

Table 2
Manual Coding
Category Definition and Example Coding Strategy
Portal sites owned and Domain/site with www. Y if it has a company site
managed directly by the N if it does not have a company site.
company
Updating The content and information on the website are Y if update.
updated as of the most recent date. N if not update.
Value Added Unique, original or proprietary content or Y if the website has content with value added in it.
information which may not be obtained elsewhere. N if the website does not contain value-added
Examples of this value-added content include video content in it.
content, case studies, research studies, report books,
promotional offers, tutorials, and blog posts.
Customization A website with a unique design and features initiated Y if the website has a customizable design.
by the user. N if the website does not have a customizable
design.
Support Richness Richness relates to the complexity and content of the Y if the website support richness.
message. The web enables messages rich in text, N if the website does not support richness.
audio and video to be sent to several people
simultaneously.
Direct email address Direct email address refers to an email address Y if the website has a direct email address.
issued as identification for anyone who sends or N if the website does not have a direct email address.
receives a secure message directly.
Mailing address Mailing address for business mailing purposes. Y if the website has a mailing address.
N if the website does not have a mailing address.
Telp Number availability Phone number refers to the availability of a fix line Y if the website has a Telephone Number.
number that can be contacted. N if the website does not have a Telephone Number.
Home button available The home button refers to the main home/main Y if the website has a home button.
dashboard feature on the website. N if the website does not have a home button.
Sitemap Sitemap menu is a map feature to show the location Y if the website has a Sitemap
of the office. N if the website does not have a sitemap.
Language use Language use menu refers to the choice of languages Y if the website has language use.
that can be used when using the website. N if the website does not have language use.
FAQ FAQs refer to the Q&A service features that Y if the website has a FAQ
consumer ask for the most and can be clicked N if the website does not have an FAQ.
directly on the website.
Customer care Customer care refers to customer service that can be Y if the website has Customer care
contacted on the website. N if the website does not have customer care.
Logo and firm name in All types of corporate identities such as logos, Y if the website has a logo and firm name in every
every page company names, colors that can be identified on page.
every page of the website. N if the website does not have a logo and firm name
in every page.
Chat room An online service that provides a place for a Y if the website has a chat room.
community of users with similar interests to N if the website does not have a chat room.
communicate in real time.
86 JURNAL MANAJEMEN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, VOL. 24, NO. 1, MARCH 2022: 81–90

(2011) defined frequency distribution as an organized UK have used the company's website to establish com-
tabulation or graphical representation of the number of munication and build an online brand presence. Re-
individuals in each category on a measurement scale. search by Barreda et al. (2016) proved the relationship
The use of frequency distribution tables in this study is between interactivity websites and brand equity. Table
because frequency distribution tables are the most 4 provides the frequency of how telecommunication
common type of tabulation used to indicate the fre- companies in Indonesia use their websites for commu-
quency distribution with the aim of comparing data nication and branding purposes.
that has a different number of subjects (Manikandan,
2011). The frequency distribution also makes it possi- Table 4
ble for researchers to view all the data comfortably Results for Distribution Frequency
(Gravetter, Wallnau, Forzano, & Witnauer, 2020). Online Frequ- Percentage Total
Categorization
Branding ency (%) Percentage
Results and Discussion Update 7 100
Website Value added 7 100
The purpose of this research is to examine the use Content Customization 7 100
of websites by companies that fall under the category 100
Support Richness 7 100
of telecommunications companies registered with the Direct Email 7 100
Asosiasi Telekomunikasi Seluruh Indonesia (ATSI). Email Address 7 100
Website address information is obtained by directly Telp Number 7 100
accessing the website address that the Google search Home Button 7 100
Sitemap 6 86
engine displays for each company. Data was obtained Website
93.65
Language 6 86
from each company's website in June 2021, as pre- Ease of
Use FAQ 5 71
sented in Table 3. Customer Care 7 100
Logo 7 100
Table 3 Chat room 5 71
List of Website Address RSS Feed 6 86
Blog 1 14
Name of Company Site Address Website
Comment 0 0 53.06
Indosat https://indosatooredoo.com/portal/id Interativity
Mobile Content 7 100
PSN https://www.psn.co.id/
Social Networking 7 100
Hutchinson
https://tri.co.id/ UGC 0 0
Indonesia
Telkom https://www.telkom.co.id/
Telkomsel https://www.telkomsel.com/ Based on Table 4, it can be shown that 100% of
Smartfren https://www.smartfren.com/ Telco companies in Indonesia have utilized the website
XL Axiata https://www.xl.co.id/ content on their corporate website for online branding
strategy. Websites from each company have already
Table 3 shows that all telecommunications com- updated their content, provide additional value, and
panies in this study have a Web domain that is used as have a website with a customized design and are sup-
the company's official site. Based on these findings, it ported by richness that presents content through text,
can be said that all telco companies in Indonesia al- audio, and video.
ready have an official website that can be used for the Aspects of ease of use websites have a percentage
purposes of the company's branding strategy. Research value of 93.65%, which means that most of the telco
on the use of websites as a business strategy states that companies in Indonesia have a website that is easy to
websites contribute to the provision of information to use by users. Based on the data in table 3, it can be seen
consumers, provide e-commerce capabilities, and en- that almost all telco companies already have basic
courage the development of interactive relationships features that are easy to use in obtaining email address-
between companies and their customers (Vlahvei et es, company phone numbers, home buttons, customer
al., 2013). Furthermore, Vlahvei et al. (2013) suggest care, and company logos on every page of their web-
that many companies are aware of the need for web- site. However, regarding the availability of FAQs on
sites for their businesses, but they do not have clear the website, there are still 2 (two) companies that do
direction on how to utilize their websites to build a not include FAQs on their websites, including those
strong brand identity. Utilizing the website for bran- that do not have sitemap features and language options
ding strategies has been proven by Rowley (2009), on their websites, which means the percentage of ease
who researched how premium retail businesses in the of use websites is not yet maximized.
 Martini: Website as an Communication Tool and Branding Strategy in Telecommunication Companies
Website interactivity is the dimension that has the
smallest percentage on the websites of the telecom-
munication companies in Indonesia, amounting to
53.06%. This indicates that telco companies have not
maximized the interactive features on their websites.
As shown in Table 3, comment functionality and user-
generated content (UGC) are two features that are not
available on all of the websites. The blog function is
only used by one company, while other companies do
not include the blog function on their websites. The
chat room function is also only used by 5 (five) out of
7 (seven) companies, proving that this feature is not yet
part of the branding strategy of 2 (two) telecommu-
nication companies in Indonesia. While the interacti-
vity features that have been maximized by these com-
panies on their websites are mobile content and social
networking, where each company has a link that di-
rects users to the company's social media, any content
from their website can also be accessed on mobile
devices.
Discussion
The primary objective of this research is to deter-
mine whether the Indonesian telecommunication in-
dustry has a website as part of its online branding stra-
tegy. Based on the results, it can be seen that all tele-
communication companies in Indonesia already have
a website that can be used as part of the company's
branding strategy. Online branding through a website
is inevitable in today's technological era because its
presence brings up more complex and dynamic ele-
ments for branding strategies, especially in terms of
real-time interactions and market crowds (Simmons,
2007). Research by Kenney and Curry (1999) notes
that many companies are developing new online bran-
ding strategies that can help companies create unique
companies and engage consumers in the process. The
success of an online branding strategy depends on the
company's ability to understand consumer needs, mar-
keting communications, website interactivity, and con-
tent (Simmons, 2007). Based on this, the next step for
telco companies in Indonesia to make the website an
online branding tool is to manage the website with
content and features that allow users to be comfortable
when accessing the website and get valuable informa-
tion so that they want to come back again to access
information about the company and products/services
offered in the future.
It is important for companies to manage branding
because of its benefits to the company in improving
competitiveness, being a differentiating profile of the
87
company/product/service, increasing equity, and great-
er customer loyalty (Aaker, 1991; Kapferer, 1992).
The research conducted by Ibeh et al. (2005) also de-
monstrated a high degree of connectivity to the import-
ance of on-line branding and collaborative consumer
adoption strategies in brand development. Collabora-
tive strategies include online and offline brand co-
branding activities, distribution partnerships, aggregate
content, and the deployment of products and services
tailored to more personalized email (Ibeh et al., 2005).
The second objective of the research is to deter-
mine whether online branding, which includes online
content, web usability, and interactivity, has been im-
plemented in the telecommunication industry in Indo-
nesia. Based on the results of the study, it may be stated
that all telecommunications companies in Indonesia
have maximized their websites for enterprise online
branding strategy. They had already implemented a
branding strategy for their websites by creating up-to-
date content, being able to convey corporate messages
through updated content, being able to convey the
company messages to customers from different back-
grounds, and having unique content that is considered
able to communicate the uniqueness of company iden-
tity. Based on these results, it can be mentioned that the
website content of all telecommunication companies is
viewed from the content update uploaded, the added
value given in interactive features, and the uniqueness
of the feature that is easy to navigate and able to display
information that is not ambiguous for the user, which
has been implemented by Telco companies as part of
their online branding strategy. Based on the results of
this study, telecommunication companies in Indonesia
have maximized the usability of their websites for
users. Customer service is also part of the brand stra-
tegies implemented by all Indonesian telecommuni-
cation companies without exception. This proves that
companies are aware that the availability of customer
care that can be accessed by customers, potential cus-
tomers, or other stakeholders on the website is a part of
the strategy to be able to provide good service.
The website interactivity that can be analyzed
based on this study is supported by the use of websites
connected with social networks and content that is able
to be accessed through mobile devices. This allows
users to connect with other Internet users on corporate
Websites as an umbrella and can be accessed more
freely via mobile devices. However, other interactivity
aspects have yet to be fully utilized, such as free email
and chat rooms that are not owned by all seven
telecommunication companies in Indonesia, yet these
88 JURNAL MANAJEMEN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, VOL. 24, NO. 1, MARCH 2022: 81–90
two features can support engagement between custo-
mers and companies and or company representatives.
Telecommunication companies did not use User-Ge-
nerated Content (UCG) on their websites. UCG, in this
case, can support customer involvement and can cause
a sense of being a part of the brand, so these features
should be considered to be accommodated and the use
of the features can be maximized on the corporate web-
site.
Conclusion and Implication
Based on the study results and content analysis
performed, it can be concluded that telecommunication
companies in Indonesia have owned websites that can
be used in corporate online branding strategy. In their
online branding strategy on website attribute variables,
the majority of telecommunication companies in Indo-
nesia have taken full advantage of website content and
website ease of use, which makes it easy to operate in
terms of menu navigation and content display inside.
Each website also has customer service, whereas in an
online branding strategy, it is a step to maintain two-
way communication between customers and other
stakeholders.
Telecommunication companies in Indonesia have
not been able to make the most of the online content
and interactivity features on their websites, particularly
in providing free email, chat rooms, and user-generated
content as facilities. Based on an online branding stra-
tegy, maximum interactivity is able to support compa-
nies to engage with customers and or other stakehold-
ers. It would be better if every telecommunication
company could maximize its interactivity feature for
their online branding strategy.
This study utilizes content analysis to analyze the
website content of telecommunication companies in
Indonesia. The study result can be supported by further
study on how customers of each telecommunication
company react to the online branding strategy used by
companies through their official websites so that the
result can support the outcome seen from the custom-
er’s point of view. A similar study can also be deve-
loped by substituting different unit analysis variables
than the variables used in this study. Other variables to
be studied include online branding variables based on
Simmons (2007)'s 4 pillar online branding framework
and or Kenney and Curry (1999)'s framework 7c of
online branding to enrich the study results, particularly
in online branding studies.This study examines tele-
communication companies in Indonesia as the object.
It is possible that a similar study could be conducted
using the same variables but in a different industry.
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